Foreign Languages

The study of modern languages teaches students to express themselves fluidly and spontaneously in the language of instruction. The expectations are that students will also develop reading comprehension and an ability to express themselves in written form as well, at the same level of mastery. Students acquire linguistic communicative abilities as well as a better knowledge and understanding of the contributions that other societies have made to civilization through literature, art, film, and music.

Village Glen High School is currently offering Spanish 1 and Spanish 2. In addition to Spanish, Japanese 1 is offered at the Culver City campus. Courses begin with the grammatical groundwork for each language and move through successively more challenging and complex material. Critical thinking processes are encouraged at all levels as students are required to synthesize materials. Student placement in the courses is based on individual mastery level.

Course Descriptions:

Spanish 1, 1 year foreign language credit
In this course, students begin a formal study of Spanish. The skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing are all presented within the context of communicative situations. Students become familiar with standards of courtesy and appropriate greetings. They learn the grammar and vocabulary necessary to describe themselves and others, food, school life, sports and leisure activities, and weather. With each of these themes, similarities and differences between U.S. and Hispanic cultures are discussed. Interactive lessons, including the use of videos, CDs, and the Internet, familiarize students with the diversity of peoples and cultures that form the Spanish-speaking world.

Spanish 2, 1 year foreign language credit, prerequisite: Spanish 1 with a C or betterIn this course, students continue to improve the skills of reading, understanding, speaking, and writing Spanish. The goal of the course is for students to be able to incorporate the vocabulary and grammatical concepts they learn into everyday activities such as shopping, visiting restaurants, traveling and talking on the phone, among others. Greater importance is placed on the application of contextualized grammar concepts.

Spanish 3, 2 years of foreign language: Spanish 2 with a C or betterIn level III Spanish, students continue to develop their proficiency in speaking, listening and writing: interacting with other speakers of Spanish; understanding oral and written messages in Spanish, and making oral and written presentations in the target language. Students communicate on a variety of topics using complex structures including the subjunctive mood, moving from concrete to more abstract concepts. They comprehend the main ideas of authentic materials that they read and hear, and are able to identify significant details when the topics are familiar. Spanish is used almost exclusively in the class as students develop the ability to discuss topics related to historical and contemporary events and issues. Students are also exposed to literary works in the target language when appropriate.

Japanese 1 (offered only at the Culver City campus), 1 year foreign language credit
This course is taught in accordance with the state and district standards and meets the foreign language requirement for graduation and college admission. Communication across distances and cultures has become more essential to global understanding/leadership and the ability to build bridges to new people and cultures is critical. Class instruction and all assignments are created to help develop and increase the student’s vocabulary, syntax, pronunciation, and fluency in Japanese. During class lessons, students are engaged in specific language-based tasks normally performed in their daily lives.